Mathematics has been called the language of the universe. Scientists and engineers often speak of the elegance of mathematics when describing physical reality, citing examples such as π, E=mc2, and even something as simple as using abstract integers to count real-world objects. Yet while these examples demonstrate how useful math can be for us, does it mean that the physical world naturally follows the rules of mathematics as its "mother tongue," and that this mathematics has its own existence that is out there waiting to be discovered? This point of view on the nature of the relationship between mathematics and the physical world is called Platonism, but not everyone agrees with it.

Elementary particles assume specific qualities, or "values" from the creation event. We ascertain and analyze those values utilizing our own creative methods. However, these values were locked in, up to such time and continuing, that to me, they seem fundamental.

Is God a mathematician?

(I know this is from late 2013, but didn't see it posted in a search. Sorry if duped.)

There are several perspectives at work. To start with, compare the abstract of mathematics with other abstracts, such as language or how we *interpret* sensory information.

People have a terrible habit of confusing their descriptions of the world with the world itself. For example, Al Gore and his cronies believe they can describe the climate of the Earth, so that ability somehow conveys on them the magical control of the climate, though it is vastly greater than they are.

As far as the abstract interpretation of our senses, this only works with our limited agreement of what we perceive. However, people with synesthesia have different perceptions of the same thing, perhaps “seeing” music as color.

Yet another element to consider is that people seem to have some ability to make approximate estimations, for example, if you spill dry beans on a table, you can guesstimate that there are *about* 200 of them, without really knowing.

In perhaps most cases, that is close enough, at least for the purpose you intend for the beans.

And much the same rule applies for mathematics in many cases, which is why the “number of decimal places” matters or doesn’t. If it is “close enough”, it will still generally work.

Mathematics did not build anything. Math is just a tool used by people to create. Math has always existed since creation. Man only discovered it. Just as fractals have always existed. Our technology and abilities to understand have only recently discovered them. Was it Bill Gates who said that DNA contains a software program more complex than anything man has ever done. Within DNA is a code, a language. Intelligence does not spring from nothing nothingness.It is created.

It is - unfortunately most Americans have had understanding of that language beat out of them by their commie school system, so we are better off sticking with a language that people here understand - perhaps the language used for text messages and twitter.

Many of the principles of mathematics contain “singularities”, points of infinity and points where something compresses into nothing. Neither of these have been found in the real world. It’s hard for me to consider that mathematics can completely describe the real world using conditions that don’t exist.

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posted on 01/26/2014 7:04:23 PM PST
by norwaypinesavage
(Galileo: In science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of one individual)

Quantum theory, insofar as it's understood - which is considerably given our uses of subatomic physics, nevertheless does throw up a decided cloudiness to a complete understanding of how things operate at that scale. A lot of it we may never know. It seems to me that it invites statements like, "It may have happened, or not" both of which outcomes are entirely probabilistic, even such counterintuitive notions that both outcomes that were possible actually occurred in separate universes.

I mentioned fundamental constants in my first post. These are repeatable across the universe as far as we can tell. How they were established to such a fine tuning that given their slightest variations, we wouldn't be here considering them makes me fee as though they were intelligently established.

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